MH-079 Sunglasses - Swim/NamesakeSunglasses return two years after their self-titled debut EP with the split single Swim/Namesake. "Swim" is one of the many highlights from their debut full-length, Wildlife. Simultaneously grounded in 60's Spector-esque production and the experimental rock of millennial Flaming Lips, the track is an emotional, lushly symphonic pop masterwork. Piano, harp, strings and round-robin vocals take the lead on "Namesake" before a thudding beat kicks the track into full motion. Each track is paired with two versions that highlight the underlying song. Julian Wass' remix turns "Swim" into a late-night arpeggiated electronic epic while the Alternate Version plays like a long lost Bauhaus track. Marshall Trotter covers "Namesake" as a freak-country ballad and the band shares the Cassette Tape Demo that helped lock down the song. Though undoubtedly headphone-friendly, the new music from Sunglasses never sacrifices songwriting while pouring on the experimentation.

Tracklist

01. Sunglasses - Swim (Single Edit)

02. Sunglasses - Swim (Julian Wass Ending Credits Mix)

03. Sunglasses - Swim (Alternate Version)

04. Sunglasses - Namesake

05. Marshall Trotter - Namesake

06. Sunglasses - Namesake (Cassette Tape Demo)

Release Details

Release Date: 07/03/2012

Running Time: 28:51

Download/Available/$3.00

LOSSLESS/Available/$5.00

Reviews Summary

Two years ago, we made the Savannah sunburst-pop duo Sunglasses a Band To Watch - Stereogum / Swim is a summer-ready beach-worthy fuzzy surf song while Namesake is a more rocking, hip-hop beat sampling, equally fuzzy mix of dance psych - Booming Music Scene / Give "Swim" a listen i promise you will not regret it, its 7 minutes of pure awesomeness and when its over it still feels too short! I love it! - Meleke Music

On the first music out of the Sunglasses camp in two years, the Brooklyn duo has assembled two new tracks: Swim/Namesake. Sunglasses (who have fittingly supported Black Moth Super Rainbow head honcho Tobacco in the past) mash together disparate genres like they’re fiddling with the knobs on some sort of era-spanning car radio, hoping to mine some gold out of the results. While the two original tracks on the cassette’s amped psychedelia are worth a listen, the rest of the material seems like filler in anticipation of something a little bit longer.

In the seven minutes of opening track "Swim", Samuel Cooper and Brady Keehn spin around like sugar-fueled toddlers, fixating on whatever seems to catch their eyes in brief flashes of attention span. Churning, lurching loops open the song like an ethereal, gauzy Dan Deacon track, but the shuddering, multi-layered rhythm and chanted vocals that follow fall more in line with Animal Collective. The pitch-shifted harmony vocals touch up the outstanding track’s dance-y, eerie, and airy elements, and the spacy, open outro relieves the tension built in the multi-layered madness.

The other half of the title, "Namesake", opens with equal parts waterfall piano and synth stabs, eventually building to a surprisingly straightforward riff-y guitar wash. The clanks and whirs that seem to pervade the track counteract the slow groove of the vocals, making for a powerful combination of the expected and the unusual. The (Cassette Tape Demo) version of "Namesake" finds the piano working on its own with the vocals, the song surprisingly working despite the lack of the duo’s signature layering. That said, two tracks and a tossed-off handful more is a strong start, but not enough to satisfy many listeners for very long. - Consequence Of Sound